A golden day for John and Shirley (From Basingstoke Gazette)

A golden day for John and Shirley

12:00am Saturday 29th September 2012 in Andover

JOHN and Shirley Boulton, who celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday have both lived in the Wallops their entire lives.

John, from Nether Wallop, started walking out with Shirley from Over Wallop after the pair met on the bridge that separated the two villages.

“The boys would be on one side and the girls would congregate on the other,” said John.

“Nether Wallop seemed to produce boys while Over Wallop had the girls.”

That was in 1956 but the pair waited until 1962 to get married when they were wed at St Peter’s in Over Wallop.

John has spent a lifetime working in agricultural engineering and was apprenticed at Watson and Haig, the Andover engineering company while Shirley worked for Portals in Overton and then at nearby Wallop Industries until the couple’s children Paul and Debbie, came along.

The pair worked together to build the bungalow in Heathman Street where they have lived ever since.

The Wallops have seen a lot of changes over the years as trades such as bakers, butchers and blacksmith disappeared.

Shirley said: “In those days you used to know everybody you met walking in the village but not today.

“But it is home and I still definitely prefer the country to the town.”

Both are long term Southampton FC fans and until last year both had season tickets at St Mary’s though this year, following the arrival of Yorkshire terrier Holly, Shirley stays home to keep the puppy company.